118 quotes found
"My name is Lester Burnham. This is my neighborhood. This is my street. This is my life. I am 42 years old. In less than a year, I will be dead. Of course, I don't know that yet, and in a way, I'm dead already. Look at me, jerking off in the shower. This will be the highlight of my day. It's all downhill from here. That's my wife Carolyn. See the way the handle on those pruning shears match her gardening clogs? That's not an accident. That's our neighbor, Jim, and that's his lover, Jim. Man, I get exhausted just watching her. She wasn't always like this. She used to be happy. We used to be happy. [Jane is researching breast augumentation surgery despite having a large bust] My daughter, Jane. Only child. Janie's a pretty typical teenager–angry, insecure, confused. I wish I could tell her that's all going to pass, but I don't want to lie to her. Both my wife and daughter think I'm this gigantic loser. And they're right. I have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't always feel this... sedated. But you know what? It's never too late to get it back."
"It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself. Makes you wonder what else you can do that you've forgotten about."
"Remember those posters that said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"? Well, that's true of every day but one - the day you die."
"[Lying in bed fantasizing of watching Angela on ceiling partially covered in rose petals with it landing on his face] It's the weirdest thing. I feel like I've been in a coma for about twenty years, and I'm just now waking up."
"[Epilogue after being fatally shot] I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all. It stretches on forever, like an ocean of time. For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout Camp, watching falling stars. [Scene of Jane and Ricky lying bed alerted by gunshot and then gets up] And yellow leaves from the maple trees that lined our street. [Scene of Angela in powder room alerted by gunshot] Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper. [Scene of Carolyn outside in rain unresponsive to faint gunshot] And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird. And Janie, and Janie. And Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me, but it's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain, and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry. You will someday."
"[To Jane after halftime basketball performance] Honey, I'm so proud of you. I watched you very closely! You didn't screw up once!"
"[Repeated line, in self-assuring confidence] I will sell this house today. [Later becomes hysterically upset and profusively self-blaming]"
"[To Jane] Do you want to see the most beautiful thing I've ever filmed? It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing, and there was this electricity in the air. You can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just, dancing with me, like a little kid beggin' me to play with it - for fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know that there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember - I need to remember. Sometimes, there's so much beauty in the world - I feel like I can't take it, like my heart is just going to cave in."
"Kevin Spacey - Lester Burnham"
"Annette Bening - Carolyn Burnham"
"Thora Birch - Jane Burnham"
"Wes Bentley - Ricky Fitts"
"Mena Suvari - Angela Hayes"
"Peter Gallagher - Buddy Kane"
"Allison Janney - Barbara Fitts"
"Chris Cooper - Col. Frank Fitts, USMC"
"Scott Bakula - Jim Olmeyer"
"Sam Robards - Jim Berkley"
"Barry Del Sherman - Brad Dupree"
"[voiceover] "Chapter One. He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion." Uh, no, make that: "He-he . . . romanticized it all out of proportion." Yeah. To him, no matter what the season was, this was still a town that existed in black-and-white and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin." Uh, no let me start this over. "Chapter One. He was too romantic about Manhattan as he was about everything else. He thrived on the hustle bustle of the crowds and the traffic. To him, New York meant beautiful women and street-smart guys who seemed to know all the angles." Nah, corny, too corny for a man of my taste [He clears his throat.] Let me - let me try and make it more profound. "Chapter One. He adored New York City. To him, it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. The same lack of individual integrity that cause so many people to take the easy way out was rapidly turning the town of his dreams in-" No, it's gonna be too preachy. I mean, you know, let's face it, I wanna sell some books here. "Chapter One. He adored New York City, although to him, it was a metaphor for the decay of contemporary culture. How hard it was to exist in a society desensitized by drugs, loud music, television, crime, garbage." Too angry. I don't wanna be angry. "Chapter One. He was as tough and romantic as the city he loved. Behind his black-rimmed glasses was the coiled sexual power of a jungle cat." I love this. "New York was his town, and it always would be.""
"(Offscreen) An idea for a short story about um people in Manhattan who uh are constantly creating these real, uh, unnecessary, neurotic problems for themselves 'cause it keeps them from dealing with more unsolvable, terrifying problems about, uh, the universe. (The camera pulls back, revealing Ike, sprawled out on his couch, holding the recorder's microphone to his mouth. He continues to talk, fiddling with the microphone's wire as he thinks out loud.) (Into the microphone, sighing) Um, tsch-it's, uh . . . well, it has to be optimistic. Well, alright, why is life worth living? That's a very good question. (Sighing) Um. (Clearing his throat, then sighing again) Well, there are certain things I-I guess that make it worthwhile. (Sighing) Uh, like what? (Sighing again and scratching his neck) Okay. Um, for me . . . (Sighing) uh, ooh, I would say . . . what, Groucho Marx, to name one thing . . . uh, ummmm, and (Sighing) Willie Mays and um, the second movement of the Jupiter Symphony, and ummmm... (Exhaling) Louie Armstrong's recording of "Potato Head Blues" . . . (Sighing) umm, Swedish movies, naturally . . . Sentimental Education by Flaubert . . . uh, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra . . . (Sighing) ummm, those incredible apples and pears by Cézanne . . . (Sighing) uh, the crabs at Sam Wo's . . . uh, Tracy's face."
"This is so antiseptic. It's empty. Why do you think this is funny? You're going by audience reaction? This is an audience that's raised on television, their standards have been systematically lowered over the years. These guys sit in front of their sets and the gamma rays eat the white cells of their brains out!"
"You rely too much on the brain. The brain is the most overrated organ."
"[to Yale and Emily Pollack and Tracy] Talent is luck. The important thing in life is courage."
"[to Yale Pollack] You shouldn't ask me for advice. When it comes to relationships with women, I'm the winner of the August Strindberg Award."
"[to Tracy] I think that people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics."
"I can't express anger. That's my problem. I internalize everything. I just grow a tumor instead."
"She's 17. I'm 42, and she's 17. I'm older than her father, can you believe that? I'm dating a girl, wherein, I can beat up her father."
"[to Mary Wilke] You know a lot of geniuses, y'know. You should meet some stupid people once in a while, y'know, you could learn something."
"[to Mary Wilke] I had a mad impulse to throw you down on the lunar surface and commit interstellar perversion."
"[to Yale Pollack] What are you telling me, that you're, you're, you're gonna leave Emily, is this true? And, and run away with the, the, the winner of the Zelda Fitzgerald emotional maturity award?"
"[to Isaac Davis] It's just gossip, you know. Gossip is the new pornography."
"[to Isaac Davis] Not everybody gets corrupted. You've got to have faith in people."
"Woody Allen - Isaac Davis"
"Diane Keaton - Mary Wilke"
"Michael Murphy - Yale Pollack"
"Mariel Hemingway - Tracy"
"Meryl Streep - Jill Davis"
"Anne Byrne - Emily Pollack"
"Wallace Shawn - Jeremiah"
"Karen Ludwig - Connie"
"Charles Levin, Karen Allen, and David Rasche as Television actors"
"Mark Linn-Baker and Frances Conroy as Shakespearean actors"
"[voiceover, quoting Wordsworth's Ode: Intimations of Immortality] Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower, We will grieve not; rather find Strength in what remains behind."
"You know, it would be nice if children could be born into this world with an absolute guarantee that they were going to have just the right kind of bringing up and all lead happy, normal lives. Well, I guess when we get born, we just all have to take our chances."
"A LOVE STORY UNLIKE ANY OTHERS !!"
"It's unrelenting moments, Its tragedies and splendors!"
"There is a miracle in being young...and a fear."
"Natalie Wood - Wilma Dean "Deanie" Loomis"
"Warren Beatty - Bud Stamper"
"Pat Hingle - Ace Stamper"
"Joanna Roos - Mrs. Stamper"
"Audrey Christie - Mrs. Loomis"
"Fred Stewart - Del Loomis"
"Barbara Loden - Ginny Stamper"
"Zohra Lampert - Angelina"
"John McGovern - Doc Smiley"
"Jan Norris - Juanita Howard"
"Martine Bartlett - Miss Metcalf"
"Gary Lockwood - Allen "Toots" Tuttle"
"Sandy Dennis - Kay"
"Crystal Field - Hazel"
"Marla Adams - June"
"Phyllis Diller - Texas Guinan"
"[reading a poem] He was crippled / But only his body was cracked. / It's not simple / nor is it an easy matter to explain. / Let's just leave it at that she says / and closes the holy book of lies / she covers her eyes / Denying to herself what she thought happened.-Tracy Freeland."
"[finding Brady's clothes in the washer] Mom! Three strikes and you're out! How many times are you going to let him fuck you over!?"
"[chanting] No bra, no panties. No bra, no panties. No bra, no panties."
"[coming home on acid] RAHHHH I'M A LION!!!!"
"Would you like me to model my new thong? Great for pooping on the go!"
"Well teriffic. We might as well be on the fucking moon!"
"EVIE! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? SHIT!"
"[Evie pokes her stomach while trying to pierce her belly button, and screams in pain] WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!"
"[walking into class late, sarcastically] Sorry. Can't a girl go to the bathroom?"
"[crying] Mason said you wanted me to move in with Dad! You don't want me. You don't want me."
"[to Evie while high] Hit me. I'm serious, I can't feel anything, hit me!"
"I don't even remember how to spell photographer."
"The itsy-bitsy spider dropped acid at the park..."
"You guys know if you drink ten glasses of ice water a day, you'll burn three-hundred calories."
"Who would wanna stay in this shit hole anyway? It fucking stinks in here, Mel!"
"Hey boys! My friend wants to suck your dick!"
"This only costs $19.95!"
"Guys say hello to the butt!"
"Hey Mason! Move ya G-string down south!"
"It works if you work it."
"You two aren't the only J-Lo's in the house. Check out these sexy colors."
"God damn $1.50 a square foot floor!"
"Great! Then I can stop doing twelve hair-cuts a day to pay for all this shit! Do you think I wanna be here?"
"I love you and your brother more than anything in the world. I'd die for you, but I won't leave you alone right now."
"It's happening so fast."
"They're not little girls anymore."
"Evan Rachel Wood as Tracy Freeland"
"Holly Hunter as Melanie Freeland"
"Nikki Reed as Evie Zamora"
"Brady Corbet as Mason Freeland"
"Jeremy Sisto as Brady"
"Deborah Kara Unger as Brooke LaLaine"
"Because through love, we feel the intensity of our connection to everything and everyone. And at the core we are all the same. We're all one."
"Erin Kelly – Annabelle Tillman"
"Diane Gaidry – Simone Bradley"
"Laura Breckenridge – Colins"
"Michelle Horn – Kristen"
"Gustine Fudickar – Catherine ("Cat") Pegrum"
"Ilene Graff – Mother Immaculata"
"Markus Flanagan – Michael"
"Kevin McCarthy – Father Harris"
"The controversial story of a highly accomplished Catholic school teacher, who falls in love with her student, Annabelle."
"Just because you're fucking my sister, doesn't mean you're part of the family."
"Brooke Shields - Jade Butterfield"
"Martin Hewitt - David Axelrod"
"Shirley Knight - Ann Butterfield"
"Don Murray - Hugh Butterfield"
"Richard Kiley - Arthur Axelrod"
"Beatrice Straight - Rose Axelrod"
"James Spader - Keith Butterfield"
"If love existed in the world the way it does in the mind, it would last forever."
"She is 15. He is 17. The love that every parent fears."
"When David and Jade were together, it felt as if the outside world no longer existed. But, tragically, it did."
"The further their lives tore them apart, the more powerfully their love drew them back together."